


Four Mercenaries Walk into a Trap

by Phantastique21



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:27:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 17,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24826048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantastique21/pseuds/Phantastique21
Summary: Calder’s life was turned upside down by the disappearance of his woman. Now he wants revenge for her and his slaughtered teammates. I’m not good at summaries....





	1. Chapter 1

“When the fuck is this over…?!” Calder groaned, as he glanced through his sniper scope.  
“You haven’t even been on the roof for five minutes…” Cristina sighed into his ear piece.  
“Leave ‘im alone, he’s just eager to get home to his widdle kitty cat…” Levar laughed into the mike.  
Calder growled, “…shut the fuck up…”  
“You still fuckin’ around with that innocent girl-child…?” Sergei scoffed.  
“Y’know…shockingly, what goes on in my bedroom is none of your damn business” Calder began.  
“Heads up…! Target’s leaving the hotel as we speak” Cristina went on.  
Calder looked back through his scope, he sighted down the man before taking an effortless shot. The woman with him started screaming and Calder broke down his gun.  
“…I think she’s cute” Cristina spoke up.  
“Cris…” Calder grumbled, exiting the rooftop.  
“She’s sweet, she’s adorable…friendly…”  
“…sounds more like traits you’d want in dog” Sergei scoffed.  
“When I get back, I’m kicking your ass Serge”  
“Ha…! You may try, Irishman, I welcome the workout”  
“Seriously…are you sure that girl’s legal? She looks like a middle schooler…” Levar went on.  
“She’s twenty-three…”  
“The implications of you dating a twenty-three year that looks like a fourteen year old are horrifying…” Cristina added.  
“Fuck off…! I thought you loved Marie…”  
Levar snorted a laugh, “We do…we just love bustin’ your balls more…”  
“Sergei wants to fuck her too” Cristina added.  
“Следи за своей шлюхой…!”  
Calder laughed, “When I get back to base, I really am kicking your ass, Serge”  
“Whatever you do…remember to tell your kitty kitty to bring us more of them peanut butter caramel cookies” Levar added.  
“…you got it…” Calder side as he hopped on his motorcycle.

Calder pushed open the door, to the apartment, with a contented sigh.  
“Kitten?”  
“Baby!”  
A small black girl with wild hair leapt on him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He chuckled as she kissed him, long and slow.  
“Hi…” Stacey smiled.  
“Hey there”  
She kissed him again, “I missed you”  
“…I missed you too, babe”  
“You eat yet?”  
“…not yet…” he sighed setting her down, “I flew back as soon as I could…”  
“Good…! Because I made your favorite, I made it a few hours ago though so I have to warm it up…” she said, bending to look into the fridge.  
“I rushed back because I wanted to see ya, babe…” he grabbed her hips, pressing himself against her ass. She giggled grinding back into him, Calder groaned, giving her ass a smack, “…I’m gonna take a shower…I want you naked, in that bed when I get out…”  
“…yes sir…” she purred.  
Calder had met her when she’d moved into the building. He’d thought she was cute, adorable even, Stacey had deep dark brown eyes and a sweet gape tooth smile. Thick dark brown hair she hated having done or even in a ponytail or bun. She was smaller then he was used to but, for the life of him, he couldn’t seem to leave her alone. He’d helped her out with the plumbing, other things about owning an apartment for the first time. She’d offered to cook him dinner to repay him for his kindness. He’d made her laugh, they liked the same movies, liked the same songs and he’d kissed her the first time when he’d helped her do dishes.  
Stacey had made him wait for a entire month before she’d sleep with him, her first time. Calder had made her scream, cry and beg for more and she told him to come by whenever he was free. It had been a year, he had moved in and she was always happy to see him. He was an old bastard, pushing forty, a mercenary but he couldn’t help it. Even now with his face between her legs listening to high cries and soft moans, her juices soaking in his beard.  
“…stop…enough…! I’m gonna…pass out…” she panted. He lifted his head from between her legs, wiping his mouth on the back on his hand.  
“…I was in the mood for somethin’ sweet…”he smirked.  
Stacey laughed, “…you’re so crazy…”  
“…haven’t even gotten started, kitten…” he growled, spreading her legs. She bit her lip, running her hand down his chest, “Come and get me, daddy…”  
Calder smirked, rubbing the head of his erection against her swopping wet lips. She arched her back moaning.  
“…Calder…!”  
“…you like that kitten…?”  
“…it’s not enough…put it in Calder…!”  
“…since you asked so nicely”  
Stacey arched her back, crying out as he pushed himself inside her, inch by inch.  
“…hows that?”  
“…mmmore…”


	2. Chapter 2

“…by the way…the guys wanted more of those cookies you made…” Calder sighed.  
“The peanut butter… caramel? I’m glad they liked them…” Stacey smiled back, “…I honestly just made it up…”  
“Well…it was hit…they all like you y’know…and Sergei wants to fuck you…last time I checked…”  
Stacey giggled, snuggling into his side, “…I’m flattered and…a little intimidated…”  
He glanced at her, “…Intimidated…?”  
“He’s Russian and…huge…I’m afraid his dick would be the size of a missile…”  
“…and here I thought you were with me because you liked me” he teased. She giggled, “I do…but tell Sergei…I’m not interested…”  
“…gotcha…I’m glad…” he sighed.  
Stacey sat up, smiling at him, “I’m glad they like me…just like I’m glad you like me…”  
“…more then like ya…” he growled, rubbing her back. She giggled, leaning down to kiss him.

Calder stood on the fire escape, smoking a cigarette, his phone vibed in his pocket. He glanced at the notification from his bank, two million. A second later, it began to ring, he picked up without a second thought, “Thank you for your patronage…”  
“Be careful” the voice on the other end whispered, “Someone’s onto you”  
“Who?”  
“We’re not sure yet, just lay low and stay away from the others for a while…”  
“Understood”  
“…babe?”  
He looked up as Stacey yawned her way into the kitchen, draped in his tee shirt. Buck followed alongside her obediently as she went to the fridge.  
“Hey…”  
“You okay…? You weren’t there when I woke up…”  
“Needed a smoke…after how you sucked the soul outta me…” he smirked.  
She blushed taking a sip from her water, “Don’t act like you didn’t love it…”  
“…never said that…” Calder flicked his cigarette, ducking back into the apartment, “…ready for another tumble, kitten?”  
She purred as he came over to kiss her, “…are you?”  
He growled, throwing her over his shoulder, Marie squealed.  
“Calder…! I’m not wearing panties…!”  
“…you want me to start eatin’ it here? It is the kitchen after all…”  
Stacey laughed playfully.

Calder was whistling as he joined the others that morning. Christina looked up from sharpening her machete to share a glance with Levar.  
“Sounds like somebody got lucky last night…” Levar smirked.  
“When it comes to Stacey, I hit the Jackpot…” Calder smirked back falling into a chair.  
“Enough brag, we have job” Sergei grumbled.  
“The fuck is your problem?” Calder began.  
“Está celoso de que tengas a alguien a quien follar y no…” Christina muttered.  
“Cuéntame sobre eso” Calder scoffed.  
“…just a regular recon and assassination, the folders the employer sent got the rest…” Levar said, tossing a file to each of them. Calder glanced at it briefly, “Only $25,000, what the fuck?”  
“You’re the one who wanted to try a contract…” 

Calder groaned, rolling over to pull Stacey into his arms only to find his bed empty. He found Stacey in sitting at the kitchen table flipping through his briefing folder.  
“…the hell are you doin'…?” He growled flipping it shut.  
“…you left it out, you don’t normally do that…” she said distractedly.  
“You know what I do, Stacey” he sighed, grabbing the folder and tucking it away in his go bag.  
“I love you, Calder…you know that right?” she called.  
“…’course I do, Kitten. I love you, too" he turned to her. He'd never seen her like this, she stared into his eyes unwaveringly.  
“I’ve never asked you for anything ever…” she threw her arms around his neck.  
“…please, Calder. Don’t take this job, just this one and I'll never ask you again” she was shaking. It broke his heart to push her away.  
“I have to go…we've gotta contract…” he began.  
“Then…let the others go instead…”  
“What’s this about?”  
Stacey hesitated, “Just…a bad feeling…”  
Calder pulled her into a kiss, “It'll be fine babe. It’s a routine job, get in get out”  
Stacey pulled back, “I think you should sleep on the couch”  
Calder sighed, “…fine…”

Calder was in a bad mood, he'd fallen off the couch three times. His joints ached and Stacey was gone when he woke up, leaving him a note to walk the dog. All in all it had been a shitty morning.  
“What is wrong, fearless leader. Your tail is less bushy” Sergei smirked.  
“Shut the fuck up" Calder snarled.  
“Sound like someone didn’t get their wick dipped last night…or this morning…” Levar smirked.  
“Caught her flipping through my case file and she got a stick up her ass about it. Told me not to go…”  
“Awww…she loves you…” Cristina teased.  
“Fuck off…” he hissed.

Calder was exhausted, his routine job had turned into a goddamn nightmare. Blocks at every turn, in the end they had to rely on an old fashioned honey trap. Cristina was less then enthusiastic to be squeezed into a dress and ‘dolled up'. Hopefully Stacey was out of whatever funk she was in when he left.  
What he needed now was one of her patented back messages. The first time she gave him one he was too relaxed to even have sex afterward.  
He tried to unlock the door three times before it opened to reveal Stacey. She was dressed in baby pink bralette and matching underwear, his favorite.  
“I thought I heard a scratching at my door…” she purred.  
“…damn, kitten, you look so good…” he growled.  
“…looking at you I can tell you're not up to the challenge tonight” she began, tugging him into the apartment, “Don’t worry baby, I'll take care of you…”  
She handed him a glass of whiskey, “I'm sorry that I was so moody when you left…I just…get nervous when you go off on your missions…”  
“I know, Kitten…I mean, I figured…” he sighed, knocking the glass back.  
“I’d like to say I made your favorite but...I ordered it from a place that is supposed to know steak"  
Calder sat heavily down at the kitchen table. Set before him was a plate of steak and mashed potatoes.  
“Hurry up and eat so you can build up your stamina so you can eat me…” she purred.  
“Yes ma’am…” he growled, digging in.


	3. Chapter 3

Calder was dizzy as he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Stacey, balancing on the back of the couch.  
He groaned and her dark eyes met his, “You awake, baby?”  
His head ached, he tried to rub it only to find his hands tied to the chair he was currently sitting in. Calder growled, tugging at his restraints only to look up and find a gun in his face, Marie on the other end.  
“…easy, big C…” she purred.  
“…what…the fuck…?”  
“This is what happens…when you don’t fucking listen to me…!”  
He looked up at her, the warm brown eyes he'd fallen for gazed back at him impassively. To add insult to injury she was mostly naked, wearing one of his shirts, legs crossed as she watched him, gun pointed in his face.  
“…what…the fuck are you talkin’ ‘bout…”  
“I told you not to take that job…that you’d get yourselves killed…”  
“Didn’t think you’d be the one to do the killing…”  
“I didn’t have a choice…!” She yelled. “This wasn’t supposed to be my job! Recon, that was it, keeping tabs, letting the family know what you were up to, that was it. But you had to stick your nose where it didn’t belong…had to make my job difficult…”  
“So what now? They order you to kill me?”  
Stacey sighed like a disappointed parent, “Yeah…for the record, you were the most fun I’ve ever had on a job…”  
“…so it was all a grift? Bullshit…” Calder spat.  
Stacey hesitated.  
“Somethings…you just can’t fake…like how good I made you feel…”  
The sound of the gunshot was nearly deafening and the pain was indescribable, it wasn’t the first time Calder had been shot but for some reason the pain was deeper. He slumped, coughing blood, “…goddammit…”  
Stacey grabbed his hair pulling his head back so he could look at her, she leaned in, licking the blood from his lips.  
“Look at me and it will hurt less…”

Calder jerked awake and immediately regretted the quick movement, the room swam before his eyes for a moment.  
“Still alive, huh?”  
Someone was shining a light in his eyes.  
“…knock that shit off…” Calder grumbled, shoving the person away.  
“He’s fine…”  
“Can you hear me, man?”  
Levar’s face floated in front of his vision, his face was torn and he wore an eye patch.  
“…what…the fuck happened…to you…?”  
Levar snorted, “Courtesy of your little girlfriend but looking at you I guess I should count myself lucky…”  
Calder glanced around, he was in some kind of shitty hospital.  
“…where’s…Cris and Serg?”  
“Dead” Levar sighed, falling heavily into a chair. “Never woulda thought such a little thing like her could do that to Serg…she fuckin’ tore him apart…”  
“…that what she did…to you…?”  
Levar got quiet, “…Cris was the lucky one, Marie killed her quickly. Me and Serg weren’t so lucky, she…uh…cut off his genitals and then…tore away at him until he was completely incapacitated then…she went after me…”  
“Levar…”  
“She started…carving at my face…then she….she took my fuckin’ eye, man”  
Calder grit his teeth, “Fuck…!”  
“…Soon as I was able I went to find out if she’d gotten to you too. Lucky enough, you were still alive…”  
“I don’t think it was luck…”  
Calder looked up at the doctor, as she flipped through her chart.  
“The bullet missed your heart by mere centimeters while still somehow avoiding all major arteries. I’d say she was a terrible shot but, it was way too precise…”  
“So she left me alive on purpose? Why the hell would she do that?”  
“Well, judging by who she actually is, it’s probably just because she’s fucking crazy…”  
Calder sat up, “You know who she is?!”  
“Mmm…” the doctor grabbed another folder. “She’s an assassin for the Noir family, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Nettle”  
Calder’s blood ran cold, the Noir had a terrifying reputation in and of itself, they were the most feared crime family in America. And Nettle was their number one hitter, the sheer amount of bodies she had behind her was enough for her very moniker to put the fear of God into even the most staunch assassins.  
“Shit…!” Levar cursed.  
“When the fuck did we run a foul of the Noir family anyway? Goddammit I thought Nettle was a man”  
“One of our previous employers wanted to challenge the Noir family so they hired us to take care of a few key players…”  
“Isn’t the point of our organization to weed out dangerous missions?!” Levar hissed through clenched teeth.  
“These employers were clever, they had you pick off connections so obscure it would’ve taken the organization months to realized they were kicking a beehive”  
“…who hired us?” Calder hissed.  
“They’re all dead…and so is the organization. The only reason I can treat you without fearing the Noir is because they signed a treaty leaving all such hospitals hollowed ground. When you leave, it’s up to you to keep yourselves alive…”  
“If you are so neutral, how the hell do you know all this?” Calder glared.  
“Because the Noir has made it common knowledge, so everyone knows what happens to those who cross them, even covertly. They think your dead by the way, it’s in your best interest to keep them thinking that” she said wandering off.  
They fell into a strained silence.  
“Don’t even think about it” Levar began.  
“Think about what?”  
“I know you Calder, you want revenge for Serg and Cris”  
“Don’t you?”  
“Not at the expense of my own life. The Noir think we’re dead and…I’m in no condition to work as I am now…” he sighed.  
“So what’re you gonna do?”  
“Retire…that’s all I can do”  
“Then you have no say in what the fuck I do” Calder replied.  
“Dammit Cald, I’m trying to keep you alive!”  
“You already did that. You don’t owe me nothin’ else, have a good retirement”


	4. Chapter 4

Calder gave a tough grunt as he came inside of Stacey, falling on top of her bonelessly. She lightly stroked his hair.  
“You…still there…?” She sighed in his ear.  
“…yeah…fuck…” he sighed, starting to move off of her. “Did…you come…?”  
“…mmm…yeah…a few times…” she purred, “…don’t move yet…let’s stay like this a little longer…”  
“…ain’t I heavy?”  
“…no…you’re warm and nice…”  
Calder rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him, Stacey sighed happily as he stroked a hand down her back, “This better, kitten?”  
She snuggled against him, “…I like being close to you…”  
Calder felt his heart turn to mush, he lifted her chin to kiss her again…

Calder woke with a start, he sat up with a groan, the bullet wound in his chest aching. He grabbed pain pills off the nightstand, washing it down with the rest of the bottle of whiskey. It had been nearly four years since his team and the organization he worked for had been decimated by one woman, a hitman for the most dangerous crime family in North America. She had fooled him, seduced him, wormed her way into his life only to betray him in the end. He swore revenge above all else, there was nothing left for him.  
It had been a long hard road, trying to track a member of the Noir family while flying under their radar. There had been many close calls, so many that it left Calder suspicious that one of these days he’d find a bullet in his head from the family themselves. He had to admit, he wasn’t getting any younger, 41 this year. He had to wrap this up while he was still in his prime.  
There was a pounding on his door, Calder grabbed the Glock off his nightstand, approaching cautiously.  
“Who is it?”  
“It’s me”  
Calder undid the locks, letting Lydia into the apartment, she was a busty blonde, an eyepatch over her missing green eye. They were drinking buddies and on many occasions fuck buddies, she was the only one who agreed to help him with his vendetta.  
“It’s your lucky day” she strode past him, lifting the folder in her hand into the air, “I finally found the answer to all your burning questions”  
She sat at his meager kitchen table, “Got any whiskey?”  
Calder pulled up a chair, pouring her a drink and she slid the folder his way.  
“You been wondering why the Noir haven’t been on your tail for going after one of their own? Nettle’s not part of the family anymore, she retired”  
Calder looked up at her, “What?”  
“Shortly after your job, she quit, don’t wanna know what you have to do to quit a family like that”  
“Where is she now?”  
“Settled down in a pretty house in Salem, address is in there…”  
Calder flipped through the contents, burning it into his memory.  
“You…want me to stay over…” she began, Calder chose to ignore the hopeful lilt in her voice.  
“I’m headin’ out tonight” he said, shoving up from the table to take a shower.  
Lydia looked away, “She could kill you, Cald. You know that, right?”  
“Hopefully I get to her first” he replied, going into the bathroom for a shower.

Calder stared up at the house, a stark contrast to the monster that lay inside. Even knowing what he knew about Nettle was probably a lie, the homey façade didn’t seem like her. He had two guns in his waistband and another tucked in his jacket. After everything he heard about her and what she did to a big guy like Sergei, Calder knew he’d need all the help he could get.  
He walked up, keen to kick the door in only to see some of the neighbors watching him curiously. All he needed was for one of them to call the police and stop him before he was able to do what he came there for. So he rang the bell, sticking his hand in the pocket of his jacket and around the gun he had there, hoping it would be enough to coax her back into her home, so he could kill her in privacy.  
Then something happened he didn’t expect, instead of Nettle, a small girl with dark red curls pulled opened the door. She had caramel skin but the most haunting thing about her were her bright blue eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

“Who’re you?” She tilted her head cutely. Calder was snapped from his stupor, he plastered on a smile, “Hey there, kiddo. Is your mommy home?”  
She turned, “Momma…! There’s a man at the door for yooou!”  
She dashed away and moments later, Stacey was standing in the doorway. All his finely laid plans flew out the window the moment he saw her. She was beautiful, Amber skin, dark eyes, thick black hair that curled vaguely down her shoulders. She’d grown even more irresistible in the past three and a half years, her breasts filling out the front of her dress nicely and her hips were wide and welcoming. She had smudges of flour on her face and in her hair, Calder wanted nothing more the to wipe it off.  
Her eyes lit up when she saw him, “Calder…! It’s been so long…!”  
He was about to ask what the hell she was talking about when he once again saw the little girl clinging to the hem of her dress, looking up at him curiously. He took his finger off the trigger of his gun pulling his hand out of his pocket. He smiled back, “Yeah it has, I was in the neighborhood so I thought I’d swing by”  
“Come in, come in…!” Stacey beckoned him inside, throwing him off guard.  
“Me and the baby were just making cookies, as you could probably tell…” she smiled, stroking the little girl’s hair, she beamed up at her affectionately.  
Unsure of what else to do, Calder came inside, shutting the door. The interior looked liked any house with a child, toys everywhere, the t.v. tuned into Cartoon Network. The kitchen was warm and had a familiar smell.  
“We’re making my favorite” the girl beamed at him.  
“Peanut Butter Caramel” Stacey smiled. Calder tried not to flinch as he took a seat at the island.  
“Okay Munkin, cookies will be done in an hour and momma has to catch up with her friend…”  
“Can I play out side?” She asked.  
“Have at thee”  
“Yes Momma…! Bye bye, mister…!” She called dashing out the back door.  
“Would you like some tea? I just put a pot on…” She said going over to the pot.  
“What…the fuck…” he growled, rubbing his eyes, “That kid…it can’t be…she can’t be my…”  
“Of course she’s yours, she has your eyes after all” she said pouring herself a cup.  
“…fuck…!” He hissed, “…what’s her name…?”  
“Aisling”  
His head snapped up, “After my fucking mother?!”  
“Why not? She’s part of your family after all”  
“You fucking bitch…” Calder growled, reaching for the gun in his jacket. Something went flying past his face, catching his cheek, there was a low thunk as the kitchen knife embedded in the wall behind him. He was shaken, he hadn’t even seen her move.  
“Uh uh uh…” she smiled, “There’s a baby in the other room and I don’t want her to be disturbed, and I don’t think you do either…”  
Calder grit his teeth, slowly pulling his hand out of his jacket.  
“…is that the reason why The Noir fired you? You were knocked up?”  
Stacey suddenly became cold, “The Noir is a family…you can’t quit family…”  
She grabbed a dish towel, coming over to dab his bleeding cheek, “I…was no longer able to do my duty to my family so…they let me retire…”  
“Some family…when you stopped your ‘duty’ the Noir withdrew their protection and support…” he growled, snatching the towel from her.  
Stacey laughed, “Who do you think is paying for this house? The food in it? That child’s happiness?”  
“Then how the hell was I able to find you so easily?”  
She laughed again, “Four years was easy?”  
Chill went down his spine, “You knew I was alive…you let me find you…”  
“…if I didn’t make you work for it you would’ve gotten suspicious” she teased, “And of course I knew you were alive, I left you that way”  
Calder’s gaze narrowed, “Why the hell would you do that?”  
Stacey looked away, her cheeks going pink, “Because…I didn’t want you to die…I liked you…a lot…”  
“So you tricked me and killed my friends?”  
“I left Levar alive” she said defensively. “And that was the job, I was supposed to kill all of you but…I begged Granddaddy to let me keep you but he said I had to make it look like I messed up”  
“I’m not a goddamn pet” he growled.  
“That’s all you could be in our family, you have to know that” she said coming closer. She leaned toward him over the kitchen island, giving him a good look down the front of her dress. Calder swallowed back his desire.  
“I really…really liked you…I wasn’t lying when I said you were my first…”  
Calder met her gaze, it was innocent and open, and it made him sick.  
“Yeah sure…”  
He stood and Stacey watched him, some what disappointed, “Leaving so soon?”  
“I’ll be back” He hissed like it was a threat. “…not like I have much choice”  
Stacey watched as he slammed the door behind him, Aisling came back into the house.  
“Did I do good momma?”  
“So good, baby” Marie purred, kneeling so she could run into her arms.  
“…why can’t I let daddy know who I am?”  
“…he already does, my love, now it’s up to him to figure our what to do about it”  
“But I wanna tell him I know…”  
“Soon, my love. All good things are for those who wait…soon you will have a daddy one way or another” Stacey smiled, stroking back her hair. “Momma will do her best to give her baby everything she wants. Because I love you baby”  
Aisling beamed, “I love you too, momma”


	6. Chapter 6

Stacey was on top of him, rolling her hips in the way he loved, groaning and panting.  
She smiled down at him, “You like that, Big C?”  
“…you know I do…keep goin’ babe…”  
“…who said I was stopping…?” She moaned. “MMmm…besides…you feel to good to stop…”

Calder snapped out of his stupor, there was knock as at the motel door.  
“Who the fuck is it?”  
“Guess”  
He opened it to Lydia, concerned and annoyed.  
“What the fuck are you doing here?” He growled down at her.  
“I followed you of course” He pushed him aside, entering the motel room. ”I wanna help”  
“There’s no helping me” he laughed, he took another swig from his whiskey bottle.  
“What happened?”  
“Nettle…she…showed me our daughter…”  
Lydia stared at him, like she didn’t fully understand what he was saying, “Your…daughter…”  
“I went to kill her…and there was a kid who looked enough like me to…”  
Lydia shook her head, “…no…there’s no way…”  
“Oh there’s a way…” Calder scoffed, “I used condoms but…there were times…we went barebacked…”  
Lydia shook her head, “…Calder…!”  
“I know, alright?! But how was I supposed to know what would happen?! She told me she was on the pill…”  
Lydia sighed, “Well…what the hell are you gonna do?”  
“…I got no goddamn idea…but if that really is my kid, then I want to know ‘er, I want her to know her dad didn’t just abandon her…” Calder plopped down on the bed.  
Lydia came to sit beside him, “You may be alotta things, Calder but…you were always a good man…”  
“Would a good man be trying to kill the mother of his child?” Calder snorted.  
Lydia chuckled, “Well…you wouldn’t be the first…”

Calder rang the doorbell at the picturesque little house once more. He had no idea what he was going to do but he wasn’t leaving without seeing Aisling, telling her the truth. Even if he had to fight her mother to do so.  
Stacey opened the door with a smile, “Here you are…! You were nearly late…”  
“Late?”  
“You are taking the baby to the zoo today” she announced handing him a map and a tiny Moana backpack. “I circled where all the family bathrooms are. I got Aisling to pee before but, you know kids…”  
“What the fuck is this? What the hell are you doing?” he began.  
Stacey tipped her head, confused, “I don’t know how to be any clearer about what I just said…”  
Before Calder could ask anymore questions, Aisling came barreling down the stairs, “I'm ready…!”  
“There are snacks and a phone in her bag, but you can get food at the zoo…” Stacey bent, giving the girl a hug and kiss.  
The door shut and Calder was still thoroughly confused. Aisling slipped her tiny hand in his with a smile. He smiled back, “So…apparently we're goin' to the zoo"  
“Yeah” she chirped excitedly.  
“Then let’s go, hun”


	7. Chapter 7

Calder couldn’t’ remember the last time he'd felt so at peace. Aisling was balanced on his shoulders, her little feet excitedly strumming against his shoulders.   
“Where are they…?” She began peering into the wolf habitat.   
“There…” Calder pointed, “Against the tree line…do you see?”  
After a few seconds she squealed in delight, “Dere…!”  
“You know what sound a wolf makes?”  
“Awoooooooo" she howled.  
“That’s a smart girl…” he smiled.  
“Are you weally my daddy?”  
Calder started glancing at the small child as they at lunch.  
“…yeah, I suppose I am"  
“Mommy says she woved you so she had to wun away and I was in her tummy so you didn’t know…”  
Calder snorted, “I…guess you could say that…”  
“Are you gonna wive with me and mommy now?” she looked up hopefully.  
Calder was taken a back, Aisling covered her mouth, “Mommy said I can’t ask that…”  
“Your mommy and me…we…didn’t part on…the best terms…” he sighed.  
Aisling nibbled on a chicken tender, “Mommy said…grampa made her hurt you…and you’re still mad at her…”  
Calder said nothing, he didn’t want to say anything bad about Stacey to their daughter.   
“…mommy says I wasn’t pose ta…” she muttered.  
He stroked her red licorice curls, “That’s okay, sweet girl…it'll be our little secret…”  
She held up the littlest finger on her tiny hand, “Pinky swear?”  
Calder smiled, hooking her finger, “Pinky swear"

Shortly after the two left, there was a knock at the door. Stacey steeled herself, pulling it open. There was an elderly black man dressed smartly in a suit, alligator shoes, porkpie hat and a cane. He was flocked by intimidating men in suits and earpieces.   
He smiled at her with gold teeth and she plastered on her own fake smile.   
“Hi Granddaddy”  
“How’s my favorite grand baby" he hugged her, warmly as the armed guards flooded into the house.  
“You ain’t have ta come all this way…”she began, ushering him into a seat.  
“Nonsense…! Where’s the baby?”  
“Out…!” Stacey said quickly, “She’s been wanting to go to the zoo…”  
“Interesting she’s gone today specifically…”  
Marie glared at the few unnoticed and unwelcomed faces. Aunt Bernice looking like she needed a drink, Uncle Lucius watching her like he always did, trying to determine her worth. The one who spoke was one of the cousins of which there were four, Mamba, Scorpion, Widow, and Cobra.  
The one who spoke was Cobra, the second in the family. The title of Cobra had been offered to her, the number one killer in the family but she had liked the name Nettle so much better. Cobra was six years older, good in her time but once Marie came of age she had tripled the numbers. She had felt bad for stealing something so important from her favorite cousin until Calder. Until Cobra had led the family on a vendetta against him and made her make the most difficult decision of her life.  
She glared back into those hazel eyes she had once trusted. “I finally found someone to take her, shame it had to be on such an important day”  
“Mmm…and who did you get to take her?”  
“A neighbor, Aisling is friends with their daughter…” Stacey replied without hesitation.  
Cobra glared and she glared right back, Granddaddy thumped his cane.  
“Enough of that…! We’re family, if we turn on each other it'll be the beginning of our downfall"   
They looked away, Lucius began, “We've been in talks, it’s time for you to return to the family business…”  
Stacey started but she didn’t let it show, “I retired…I live for my daughter…”  
“A child you conceived without Noir permission…!” He added.  
She glared, “I told the family as soon as I knew I was pregnant and asked for permission to keep her. When my mother had me she was allowed to retire, as was Cobra’s mother…”  
“Neither of them was the best of our family, you are" Granddaddy said gravely, “Letting you retire was a mistake. You were always our strongest weapon, we may need you again"  
“What about Aisling?”  
“The family will take care of her…”  
“…I know how this family takes care of their own and I don’t want that for my daughter” Stacey managed.  
“When you came to us begging to spare that cracka's life, we obliged you…”  
“…he was the father of my child…! You made me maim him…”  
“We let him live, because that was what you wanted…we merely ask for repayment for generosity”  
Stacey said nothing, there was nothing she could say. The Noir got what they wanted under pain of death. If that included her daughter, they would train her to be an assassin, Stacey had been fine with that all through her pregnancy but once she gave birth, once she held Aisling in her arms, gazed into her little scrunched face, she knew she wanted better for her daughter.   
So she bowed her head, “…yes Granddaddy”


	8. Chapter 8

Calder balanced the dozing toddler on his shoulder as he knocked on the door. Stacey smiled at them, “The baby’s all tuckered out…”  
“Went out like a light on the drive back…” Calder sighed as she led him inside.   
“Her room’s right through here…” she quietly closed the door.  
Calder tucked Aisling into bed, lightly stroking her hair, “Sleep well, kiddo…”  
“…night night" she sighed.  
He found Stacey in the kitchen, she poured him a glass of whiskey.   
“I should head out…”  
“One glass won’t kill you…” she scoffed.  
“It will if its poisoned”  
Stacey rolled her eyes before taking an exasperated drink from the glass, “…still alive”  
Calder knew he should leave but he was never one to turn down a free drink. He sat down at the kitchen island and Stacey filled two glasses, sliding one toward him.  
“How was today? Did you guys have fun?” she began.   
“Yeah, Aislings a good kid…”   
“Mmm, I glad you’re getting along…”   
Calder took a swig, his eyes trained on her, “You ok? You seem…upset…”  
Stacey hesitated, staring into her glass, “I know I have no right…after all that’s happened between us…everything I did…”  
“What are you tryin' to say?”  
Stacey slid her finger around the rim of her glass, “The family wants me…to start working again…”  
Calder stared at her evenly, “What'll happen to Aisling?”  
“…they'd take her in…start training her like…like they did me…”  
Calder growled, “Over my dead body…!”  
Stacey looked at him then, her expression so open and helpless it startled him.  
“If you take her…if you take her with you she might stand a chance”   
“You’re sure?”  
“If there’s one thing Granddaddy respects, it’s a man who takes responsibility for his family. Aisling is yours because you’re her father but…when my parents divorced, I became forfeit. Granddaddy gave my father a chance to take me…mom begged him to, knowing all too well what would happen to me if he didn’t. My father refused so…he was killed…”  
Calder hesitated, “I'm…sorry…”  
“Its fine, I never knew him but…I always wanted Aisling to know you…”  
“I'll take her…I have a lot of money put away; I can provide for her…but what do we tell the kid?”  
Stacey looked away, “I've…talked to her about…going with her daddy if anything happened to me…”  
“Stacey…!”  
“I don’t want Aisling to go through what I had to…I want her to be a regular little girl, I want her to be happy…”  
Calder sighed, nodding, “When do you wanna do this?”  
“…tomorrow…no doubt someone’s watching the house, they'll report back to Granddaddy, he’ll be by tomorrow…”  
He hesitated, “What'll happen to you after that? Will Aisling ever see you again?”  
Stacey tried to smile but her lip wobble, she blinked back tears, “…probably not…maybe at my funeral…”  
Calder moved before he could stop himself, pulling her into his chest. She wrapped her arms around him, melting into him.  
“I know you don’t believe me…but I never wanted any of this to happen…” she sighed. Calder said nothing, stroking back her hair.

Calder did his best not to glare at the older man seated across from him at the kitchen table. The man was surrounded by enough security to make the president nervous.   
“I was surprised to learn you even knew about the child" Granddaddy began.  
“I found out when I tracked her down" Calder replied evenly.   
“Nettle has expressed to me your desire to take responsibility for her, you understand what that means…” he went on.   
“The kid comes with me…”  
“…she will never see her mother again, neither of you will have contact with her…”  
“Compared to you killing me and training my daughter as an assassin, I think I can deal with never having to see the woman who killed my friends…” Calder bit back. Stacey remained impassive beside him.  
“Grandaddy…! Are we really gonna give away family to a man we don’t even know?” Cobra whispered to him.  
“…think of her potential…” Stacey’s uncle added. Granddaddy thumped his cane, “This is a man willing to go before the most dangerous family in the world to fight for a child he's never known. What kinda father would I be if I denied him?”  
Cobra glared at Stacey and she met her gaze evenly.  
Granddaddy waved a dismissive had, “Take the baby, say your goodbyes”

Calder shut the trunk glancing back at Stacey, Aisling in her arms. Their eyes met and she kissed the girl's hair.  
“…it’s time to go, baby…”  
“Okay, mommy…” Aisling said hesitantly. Stacey set her into the car seat, “…you be a…good girl for daddy…be brave for mommy…”  
“I pwomise…”   
Marie pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, “I love you so much…no matter what happens never forget…”  
“I won't…I wuv you too…”   
Stacey shut the door turning to Calder, “Run…as far as you can…they changed their mind about me, they can do the same with her…”  
“Yeah…” Calder hesitated. “I…uh…want you to know…I didn’t mean…”  
She cut him off by tugging him into a rough, breathtaking kiss. Stacey pulled back with a smile, “…I know…I still love you…”  
Calder watched Stacey in the rearview as they drove away. She waved a bit before burying her face in her hands and sobbing. He heard sniffles from the backseat.   
“Its okay, sweetheart, you can cry if you want…”  
“Momma…said…I…gotta be brave…but…” Aisling hiccupped.   
“You’re already brave, honey…” he sighed, “Its okay”  
Aisling dug her tiny fists into her eyes beginning to loudly cry.


	9. Chapter 9

Stacey had no idea how long it had been. Her days seemed to be a crimson blur of assassination targets from the family. Even now as she tightened the restraints on the wrists of the Yakuza beneath her, his face was vague.  
“…you like that, daddy? Not too tight?” she purred.  
“Mmmn…just right…” he groaned. The way he was looking at her made her sick so she tried the blindfold.  
“…uh uh uh, no peeking…”  
“…stop teasing me, already…”  
“We both know you love the teasing…” Stacey smiled reaching over for the ostrich feather. The man groaned as she sensually ran the delicate quills over his skin as she ground herself against his steadily growing erection. He was so enraptured he didn’t notice the knife until it slid across his throat. She sat on top of him, watching impassively as he gaped like a dying fish. He went still and she slid off him, heading into the bathroom.  
She turned on the shower as hot as it would go before shedding her bloody lingerie, she found the complementary shower cap, stuffing her unruly curls into it, she stepped under the spray. She vaguely heard the hotel door open, but she wasn’t concerned moments later there was a knock at the bathroom door.  
“Good work…!” Antoine , her handler called.  
“Did you bring me a change of clothes?” She called back.  
“Yes, of course…”  
“I’ll be done in 20 minutes…”  
Antoine hesitated, “It’s…unwise to linger…”  
“The cleaners need to work, they can leave the bathroom for last…” she called back. “Or do you want me walking out of here covered in blood?”  
There was no reply so Stacey carried on with her shower.   
“…that’s the best the family has to offer…what a fucking brat…!”  
“You didn’t see her in her prime…” one of the cleaners said. He glanced at the white clad figures rolling up the body.  
“I heard rumors…but what the hell happened?”  
“What always happens with young girls, a man…” one of them chuckled. “Then there was the kid…”  
“She had a kid?! We're is it?”  
“The family gave the father the choice, he chose to take it so the kid got outta the family and the father got to live…”  
“…but she’s never allowed to see them again”   
Antoine glanced at a well dressed woman with a clipboard, she didn’t look up from her notes, “I have kids…can’t imagine what it’s like to have a child ripped away from you”


	10. Chapter 10

Calder came home to find Aisling sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by textbooks, “Hey half pint…”  
She didn’t reply and Calder sighed, “Still not talkin' to me?”  
She quietly turned the page and Calder took off his jacket. He had clearly underestimated a nine year old girl’s ability to be passive aggressive.  
“Well, dinners in an hour and its pork chops and Mac ‘n cheese…”  
“…I don’t like pork chops…” she muttered.  
“But you like mac n' cheese…I know its your favorite…”  
Aisling shrugged, Calder ruffled her hair. She swatted his hand away with a hint of a smile.  
It was a stupid fight, Madison was having a sleep over and Aisling wanted to go. Madison had two teenage brothers and a father who, as a teenager, had the habit of having sex with unconscious girls. Calder may have gathered the information illegally but it made him firm on the idea that she was not allowed to go. It had led to an argument, ‘it wasn’t fair', ‘I hate you!’  
He had to admit, that one stung. But Lydia had assured him it was just a phase, a long one, but a phase none the less. Calder had to admit, Lydia had been a big help when he'd decided to take the pup. She had helped him find a suitable home for raising a child, helped them settle in and fill out applications for preschool and elementary school. Lydia would bring toys for Aisling whenever she visited and usually spent the night in his bed. She had become such a good home maker that he almost forgot she was a mercenary, just like he was. It was how Calder supplemented his income, Lydia or Levar would toss a job or two his way and in exchange they would babysit.   
Calder set out a loaded plate in front Aisling, she picked at it sparingly.   
“How was your day?”  
She hesitated, “…all my friends think Madison’s dad is creepy…At the slumber party, Ashley woke up to Madison’s dad watching them while they slept…she told everyone at school”  
Calder bit back a triumphant smile, “How’s Madison holdin' up?”  
“Ashley’s mom and dad called the police, no one will talk to Madison but me…” she went on, “It’s not her fault her dads a pervert but everyone’s acting like it is, it’s not fair…”  
“You’re absolutely right, honey, it’s not fair to her. You keep right on standing by your friend” Calder nodded.  
She smiled a little, “Ok dad…can I ask you something…?”  
“Of course,”  
Aisling nudged at her food, “…do you…miss mom?”  
Calder hesitated, “…yeah…I do…”  
Aisling slunk down in her seat, “…I know what you do with Aunt Lydia when she spends the night…”  
Calder said nothing shoveling another forkful in his mouth.  
“Do you love her too?”  
Calder sputtered, “No…!”  
Aisling nodded her head as if she had just ascertained some new information and he was sure she had. Aisling was so smart and tactful at times that it almost scared him.  
Calder really didn’t feel like having an honest ‘birds and bees' talk with his nine-year-old daughter. She was too young for it as far as he was concerned.  
“You finished your homework?”  
“Not yet…”  
“Finish it after dinner”  
“Yes dad"


	11. Chapter 11

Stacey pulled her baseball cap down as she stepped into the stairway, jogging down the stairs. She didn’t know why she bothered, she was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants and a beard. She did her best gangster swagger as she limped out the fire door. There were people on the street but no one looked twice at the maybe gangbanger. Stacey walked a good five blocks away from fancy hotel, slipping into a dark alley and the car hidden within.  
She shut the door and the car began to move. She started pulling off the fake beard just as the driver handed her a phone. She took it without hesitation.  
“Good job, Nettle" her uncle, Lucius intoned.   
“Send me the next target”   
“No jobs for now. Take a break, you haven’t had a vacation in years"  
He hung up and she grit her teeth. Stacey hated vacations, it was too much free time to focus on everything she lost. She tossed the phone angrily out the window.  
“…that’s the fifth phone this month…” Antoine commented.  
“Then maybe they’ll stop giving them to me then…” she grumbled. “Can I go home now?”  
He hesitated, “Yes, ma’am”

Stacey snapped awake as the elevator doors opened. She'd been dozing, not realizing how truly exhausted she was. She let herself in, making sure to lock up behind her. She stripped out of her clothes, leaving a trail to her bedroom.  
She lay in bed gazing affectionately at the picture beside her bed. The squirmy blue eyed baby smiled at her from behind glass, she smiled back. “I'm home, baby…”  
She curled up on top of the covers, drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

“You okay Cald?”  
Calder glanced at Lydia lying next to him in bed. She reached over, running a hand down his chest.  
“You seemed distracted…the kid still not talking to you?”  
“No she basically told me I was right not to let her go to that slumber party” he sighed. “…she…uh…also told me she knew what…you and me were gettin' into when you spend the night…”  
“Is that why you insisted on a motel this time?” she teased.  
Calder looked away, “…maybe"  
She chuckled, “I know you, Calder…and I know that can’t be all that’s wrong…”  
He hesitated, “…she…asked if I missed her mom…”  
Lydia studied his profile, “Whaddid you say?”  
“That…I did…” he sighed.  
“Do you?”  
“…yeah…maybe…I always did…”  
“After what she did to you? To Sergei and Cristina?” Lydia began.  
“She didn’t have a choice…” Calder replied, “She’s had to give up everything she’s ever wanted because of her family…you didn’t see her, Lydia. Losing our daughter devastated her, Aisling’s never been the same…”  
Lydia pulled away, rolling over, “…its getting late…you should be heading back…”  
Calder got up, wordlessly pulling on his clothes. He walked out into the empty parking lot, getting into his truck. As he drove away, back to home to his daughter, he knew without a doubt that would be the last time.


	12. Chapter 12

Stacey bit her lip, letting out a strangled moan.   
“…mmm…almost…there…keep going baby…” she purred.   
Calder sat up wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The lust shining in his blue eyes stealing her breath.  
“…you ready for me, kitten?”   
She bit her lip nodding, Calder grabbed her leg, tugging her to meet his throbbing erection. She whimpered as he rubbed the head against her eager entrance.  
“…mmm…Calder…please don’t tease me…”  
He smirked leaning over to kiss her deeply as he began to push into her, inch by delicious inch. Marie moaned, her eyes rolling back, as he filled her to the brim. He pulled back, thrusting into her at a rough pace as she screamed her appreciation.  
“…mnnn…yeah kitten…show daddy how you like it…”  
The ringing of her phone pulled Stacey back to reality. She opened her eyes staring up at ceiling. She pulled her now sticky hand out of her damp panties.  
“Yes…?”  
“…did you get the file on your next target? Your handler should’ve brought it over by now…”   
“…I'll…take a look at now…” she sighed hanging up. Stacey got up, pulling open the bedroom door. Antoine was leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping coffee and trying to very hard to hide his obvious erection.  
“…were you here the entire time?”  
“You were…very loud…”  
“Good you made coffee; I’m taking a shower…” she said shutting the door.  
Antoine had the awful feeling that Nettle was teasing him. He was used to her walking around the apartment in a large tee shirt and not much else. But today she strolled back into living room in a tantalizingly short practically see through negligee and, as he saw when she sat down on the couch opposite him, no panties. He did his best not to stare as she flipped through the briefing folder.  
“…Wisconsin…been a while since I've had a job in the states…” she commented.  
“The target is Eugene Simmons, he…”  
“I can read and I don’t care. Point me to who the family wants gone and I'll take care of it. It’s what I was born to do…its…all I can do…”  
Antoine was about to ask what she meant when those sharp eyes snapped back to him.  
“…your still hard…”  
Antoine cleared his throat, crossing his legs. Nettle set the folder aside, “You could use the bathroom or…”  
She stood undoing the silken belt, slipping the fabric down her shoulders, revealing her body to his hungry eyes. Antoine licked his lips in inadvertently.  
“You heard me playing with myself earlier…I didn’t get to finish…” she purred lowering herself into his lap. He hissed as she ground her hot eager opening against the bulge in his trousers, she moaned, biting her lip, “…you wanna help me with that…?”  
This was all kinds of wrong, he could be killed for even touching a member of the Noir but his thoughts were getting lost in a sea of pleasure until all he could focus on was the delicious friction between them and her tits bouncing in his face. He leaned in, sucking on her beautiful mounds.  
She gave a satisfied whimper and he grabbed her thighs, quickening the already frenzied pace. He was close, so close and the uncomfortable idea of jizzing in his pants seemed less and less uncomfortable.  
“…I'm coming…! I'm…OH GOD CALDER…!” she cried out, her whole body shaking. It felt too good to fight and Antoine grunted softly as he came in his pants. Nettle recovered way faster then he did, she stood gracefully, pulling her negligee back into place.  
“…thanks for that, been awhile since I had help getting off" she sighed, “I'll take another shower then get ready to head out…”  
“…who’s Calder…?” Antoine managed.  
“None of your fucking business” she sang sashaying back into the bathroom.


	13. Chapter 13

“You got all your textbooks in your backpack? Your homework?” Calder called.  
“Yep…!” Aisling chirped shoveling the last of her breakfast into her mouth.  
“Easy, Billy bass…! What’s the rush?” Calder began.  
“I can’t miss the bus, dad…” she managed between bites.  
“I don’t mind driving you, kiddo…”  
“If I don’t take the bus Madison will have no one to sit next to and the other kids'll pick on her" Aisling said, jumping up from her chair and slinging on her bag.  
“…that’s a good reason…” Calder nodded handing her the lunchbox and bending down to kiss her goodbye. “I love you, half pint…”  
“Love you too dad, bye!”  
Calder started putting dishes in the sink as she ran out the door.  
“Hi aunt Lydia…! Bye aunt Lydia…!”  
“Hi…oh…bye…!”  
Calder tried not to groan as Lydia found him in the kitchen.  
“I just saw you yesterday…” he began.  
“Relax, this isn’t a social visit” she rolled her eyes handing him a folder. “Got a job for you, Cald"  
Calder flipped it open squinting in disbelief, “…Madison’s dad?”  
“How much do you know about the investigation into him?” Lydia rolled up her sleeves, starting on the dishes.  
“You don’t have to do that…”  
“Sit down and answer the question”  
Calder sighed, “One of Aisling's friends saw him watching them all sleep…it was creepy but he didn’t touch them…”  
“He was watching them sleep…with his hand in his pants…” Lydia supplied.   
“Damn…now I'm really glad I didn’t let her go…”  
“Mm hmm, because of that the case is going to court and more and more women are coming out against him…”  
“Let me guess, he manhandled the daughter of a man who has enough money to make him pay for it personally”   
“Exactly, the contractor’s instructions are very…specific…” Lydia dried her hands.  
Calder flipped the page, “Jesus…!”  
“What’s the matter? Not up to the task?”  
“…no I'll do it…don’t know how many times Aisling’s been over to Madison’s…what that pervert could’ve done to her…” Calder growled.  
“If it makes you feel better, he gets off on little girls but doesn’t touch them. Something about ‘the purity of the age' or some bullshit”  
“But he’s raped girls when he was a kid, me and Levar found that out. Don’t worry, I can do what needs to be done"  
“Good, pays not bad either…”  
Calder scoffed, “…there’s that"  
She sauntered up to him, rubbing his shoulders, “I know we just…met up yesterday but…since I'm here…”  
He shrugged her off, “No Lydia…not anymore…”  
She seemed taken a back, “If…this is about the kid…”  
“I haven’t been fair to you, Lydia. You've done so fucking much for me and I…I keep using you…” Calder sighed.  
“We…agreed years ago to be fuck buddies…I know what this is…”  
“And I know how you feel about me" he fixed her with an even gaze. Lydia looked away.  
“I knew and I…I took advantage of your feelings just to get off. I convinced myself it was fine because you said it was…”  
“And it is! I don’t care if you…”  
“Would you care if I told you that every time we're together I think about Stacey?”  
Lydia went pale, Calder sighed, rubbing his eyes, “I appreciate everything you've done for me and the kid that’s why I…can’t lead you on anymore"  
“And what will you do? We both know you’re never going to see her again" she said coldly.  
“I'll…I'll figure it out…” Calder sighed.   
Lydia gave a scornful laugh, “Good luck with that…”  
She paused on her way out, “It really…couldn’t have been me? The one you can’t be without?”  
“…guess not. I'd be lying if I said I didn’t try…”  
“Guess that’s…all I could’ve asked for…” with that she left the house, slamming the door behind her.


	14. Chapter 14

Stacey was staring absently out the window of the private jet, waiting for the plane to take off. A black woman with bantu knots in a strait-laced suit sat across from her.  
“Who the fuck are you?” Stacey glared.  
“You’re new handler, Nia. Nice to meet you” she smiled stiffly.  
“What happened to Antoine?”  
“He…asked for a new assignment…after…”  
“…I dry humped him in on my couch?”  
Nia cleared her throat.  
Stacey laughed, “What a puss! I half thought the family killed him…!  
“Well…they thought it was best if he was replaced with someone…less distracting…”  
Stacey snorted, “They think I won’t fuck you too?”  
“I know you won’t…”  
Marie glared as Lucius came down the aisle toward her.  
“Because from now on, I’ll be making sure there are no more…slip ups"  
“Did Grandaddy send you?” she glared.  
“Granddaddy has spoiled you for far too long…” he glared.  
Stacey scoffed, looking away, he leaned over, roughly grabbing her chin, “…don’t expect that to continue. If you step out of line or show your ass…”   
“You'll kill me? Do it" she said with a type of calm that chilled Nia to the bone.  
“I've already lost everything that matters. I give my life to this family because it means nothing to me now"  
The man hissed letting her go with a shove. He made his way off the plane and they prepared for takeoff.

Calder finished packing his ‘breifcase', slinging the black duffel over his shoulder. He turned to find Aisling in the hallway, “…are you going out again?”  
Calder cursed silently; he'd been hoping to sneak out without being noticed.  
“Yeah…sorry, half pint but…I shouldn’t be gone for that long. Uncle Levar is here so you won’t be alone…”  
Aisling ran to him, wrapping her arms around him tight, “Please be careful, daddy”  
He hugged her back, kissing the top of her head, “I will, sweet girl. I love you”  
“Love you too…” she sniffled.

When Eugene came to, he had a splitting headache and a ball gag in his mouth. He tried to rub his throbbing temples only to discover he was chained to a wall by his arms and legs.   
The last thing he remembered was being in court, being denied bail then being loaded into a prison transport. The rest was a concerning blur, he struggled futility.  
“Finally awake?”  
Eugene squinted into the darkness, a light skinned black woman strolled toward him, she was dressed head to toe in a see through plastic suit, revealing her naked body to his eyes. She giggled, “That thing you got on ya sure is hardy…I can see now why they wanted me to take it…”  
It took Eugene a moment to realize she was talking about his penis which was fully erect.   
“From what I heard, you’ve been a really bad boy…all those women you hurt…you should’ve expected this" she smiled, coming closer. “Let’s have a little pop quiz, shall we?”  
She held up a picture of a girl, a very familiar girl and Eugene felt a falling in the pit of his stomach.   
“You know who this is, I can see it in your eyes. A simple nod will do" she smiled.  
Eugene didn’t respond, she sighed pulling out an upsettingly large knife. Eugene started to panic.  
“Shhhh…now I'll ask again and if you keep being stubborn, I start cutting” she purred, running the top of her blade down his belly button to his ever-present erection. “Now, do you know this girl?”  
He nodded emphatically and the woman smiled her charming smile, “Good boy…now, I’m going to take off that nasty ball gag and when I do, you’re going to tell me exactly what you did to her. You can yell and scream if you want but I can promise you no one will hear”  
She did as she said and he coughed as he got used to the feeling of his tongue in his mouth.   
“Are you gonna be good and cooperate or will I have to hurt you?  
“…I'll…do what you say…”  
She smiled, “That’s a good boy…”


	15. Chapter 15

Calder had a hard time believing what he was seeing. It hadn’t been hard sneaking into the prison, Calder could do it in his sleep and sneaking someone out, especially an American prison, child’s play. But here he was, standing in Eugene Simmons’ cell staring at someone who wasn’t Eugene Simmons.  
“Who the fuck are you?” he hissed.  
“…I'm Eugene Simmons” the mousey looking man stuttered.  
Calder grabbed the stranger by the collar, lifting him off of his bed, “I know Eugene Simmons and you for sure as hell ain’t him"  
“…please they…have my family…I just have to pretend for a little while…”   
“Who the fuck is they?” he growled.  
“I can’t…they’ll kill my kids…my beautiful wife…” the man began to sob. Calder sighed letting him go, he left the way he came, dialing on his burner as he strode back to his car.  
“He wasn’t fucking there”  
“Fuck you mean he wasn’t there?! Police records say Eugene Simmons was processed at 01500 hours” Levar replied.   
“There’s someone in his cell calling himself Eugene Simmons but it’s not him" Calder slammed the car door. “Where the fuck is he?”

Eugene didn’t meet the strange women’s gaze the entire time. He told her about the girl in the photo but she had pressed him so hard he ended up telling her everything. Every girl he had ever raped, even ruining his daughter’s slumber party. The entire time, her expression didn’t change. When he was done, she retreated into the darkness, he heard a beep, like she was turning something off.  
“That was…a lot. I'm sure it must have been…cathartic for you"  
Now that she mentioned it, he did feel better, like a weight had been lifted off his chest. The strange woman stepped back into view, she pulled the hood of her plastic suit up over her head, tightening it around her hair. She had the knife again but this time it glowed red hot. Eugene’s sinking feeling came back.   
“I…I told you what you wanted…” he began.  
“You did" she agreed.  
“So…so you can’t kill me…!”  
She laughed, “I never said I wouldn’t kill you…! And the contractor’s instructions were VERY specific on how I do so…”  
Her warm hand closed around the base of him, right under the balls. Eugene started to struggle in earnest when he realized what she had planned.   
“No…! Please…I’ll do anything…I can pay you…” he begged  
“Don’t worry, this won’t kill you, that comes later…” she cooed like she was comforting a child. She looked up at him thoughtfully, “I'd like to say this isn’t personal but…I have a little girl of my own. The entire time I couldn’t help but think of her so, unfortunately for you, I'm going to enjoy this…”  
There was a hissing sizzle and Eugene screamed.

Calder drove with a reserved urgency. Lydia had quietly attended Eugene’s sentencing and paid off the bailiff to plant a tracker on him. She was always overly cautious and it was about to pay off. Calder usually wouldn’t be so persistent, if a target got away, they got away. Calder was too old to be chasing a pay check but this was personal.   
Eugene was a predator and he knew where Calder and his daughter lived. This was cleaning house, if someone else got to him, so be it as long as Eugene was dead. Calder glanced at the GPS on his phone, he was close.


	16. Chapter 16

Stacey opened the door to the storage container, still tugging on her shirt. She hopped in the car as the cleaners flooded in to get rid of any proof someone had been there. She tossed a camera and a cooler at Nia.  
“Is this…?”  
“Video of his confession and his dick…as asked for” she sighed.   
“Good job" Nia smiled, handing both off to another.   
“Don't smile at me like that, I don’t do well with positive reinforcement…” Stacey scoffed as the car pulled off.   
She stared off into space as Nia took a phone call, probably with her uncle. She hung up, slipping the phone back in her pocket.  
“…can we go to a hotel now? I'm sleepy” Stacey yawned.  
“Of course, just one thing first…”  
It was the swift movement that caught Stacey’s attention. She grabbed Nia’s wrist before she could sink the knife deeper into her abdomen. She was a lot stronger then Stacey thought. She kicked Nia back against the door of the car, knocking the knife out of her hand. Stacey leapt at her, grabbing her face and twisting until she heard the satisfying crack of her neck breaking.  
Stacey dodged just in time for the bullet to miss her head and land in her shoulder instead. The shooter in the passenger seat cursed, firing more shots. Stacey kicked the door with both feet until it gave way. She tumbled out into traffic, landing on her feet. The truck coming in the other direction stopped just short of hitting her, blinding her with its headlights.  
The car she had leapt from swerved to a stop. She got shakily to her feet, gripping her bleeding side. She gripped the knife she'd taken from Nia in her hand, ready to carjack whatever redneck had made the mistake of not hitting her. The car door opened and Calder stepped out, staring at her in disbelief.  
“…Stacey?”  
Her legs gave way from shock and he ran to her.   
“What happened? Who did this to you, honey?” He began.  
“Step away from the girl"  
Calder glanced up at the two black men in suits that approached them, guns drawn.  
“She needs help, she’s hurt…!” He barked.  
“That’s none of your concern, step away"   
Stacey slipped an arm around him, pulling the gun from the waistband of his jeans. She shoved him aside, diving away from him and firing two shots into the two strangers’ heads. They fell and Stacey lay panting on the asphalt, her vision starting to blur from blood loss. Calder crawled over her, his blue eyes running over her.  
“…you're bleeding, kitten…” he sighed pressing his hands against the wound in her stomach. She winced, and he stroked her hair.  
“Shhh…it’s okay, honey…I gotcha…”  
She smiled up at him, “…it is you…Calder…”  
He smiled reassuringly, “Yeah, kitten, I'm right here…”  
Marie smiled back moments before she lost consciousness.

Levar was sitting on the front porch as Calder pulled up. He came down to meet him.  
“How’d it go? You find him?” Levar began.  
“Is the kid asleep?”  
“Yeah…why…?” He began suspiciously.  
Calder opened the passenger door, pulling Stacey’s unconscious body gingerly into his arms. Levar stared, “…is that…who the fuck I think it is?”  
“Get the door…”  
Calder carried her upstairs, laying her in his bed. Levar closed the door, rubbing his jaw, “…what the fuck is she doing here?”  
“…she sorta…fell in front of my car. From what I could tell the guys in the car she fell out of were trying to kill her…” Calder was rummaging through his closet for his medical supplies. “…her wounds don’t seem that deep…just gotta stop the bleeding…”  
“That doesn’t answer the fucking question” Levar hissed.  
“I wasn’t gonna let the mother of my kid bleed out on the street…”   
Levar grabbed his arm, “Are you forgetting what she did to us? To Cris and Serg?”   
“She didn’t have a choice" he bit out.   
“Lydia told me you were on your baby mama shit again” he glared, “Stopped fuckin’ around with her and everything…”  
“That was none of your Goddamn business” Calder growled.   
Levar squinted at him, “…you're in love with this fuckin’ psycho, aren’t ya?”  
“…so what if I am?” He sighed, examining Stacey’s stomach wound.  
Levar sighed, “You wouldn’t be the first to lose themselves over a crazy bitch…”  
Calder scoffed, “That mean you’re gonna help me with her?”   
Levar sighed, “One time. You get one time for this, Cald. If I see that bitch again, I'm slitting her fucking throat”  
“Deal"


	17. Chapter 17

Stacey woke in full throbbing pain, she groaned, trying her best to sit up.  
“East kitten…” Calder cooed, coming over to the side of the bed. “How're you feeling? Does it hurt…?”  
Stacey smiled, taking his breath away.  
“…it is you…I thought I was dreaming…”  
He smiled back, “I’m right here, babe. I'm not goin' anywhere…”  
She grabbed the back of his head, pulling him down into a deep, hungry kiss. Calder groaned, eagerly meeting her tongue. She let him up to take a breath, her eyes shining.  
“…I want you so bad, right now”  
“Since you…still have hole in your gut and shoulder we should…probably refrain…” he sighed.  
She rolled her eyes, “I guess…”  
Calder stood, “I'll get you something to eat with those pain pills…”  
“What kind of pills?”  
“Percocet, Vicodin, only the best for my girl…” he winked.   
“I missed being your girl…” she said honestly. “More then you can know"  
Calder paused half way out the door, “…I think I've got an idea…”  
Calder ran into Aisling in the kitchen.  
“You’re up early, half pint…” he began.   
“Who's upstairs?” she asked straight out.   
Calder fumbled, “What?”  
“I heard voices…I thought…I heard my mama…” her voice had a hopeful waver.  
Calder said nothing as he started on breakfast.  
“Is mama here? Can I see her? Please daddy…” she begged.  
“If your mother was upstairs…she’s hurt pretty bad and…I don’t want you to see her like that…” he sighed.  
“…is mama…”  
“She’s gonna be fine, sweetheart. She just needs to heal up" Calder said. Aisling wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling her head into his back.  
“…you’re taking care of her?”  
“Of course…”  
“Thank you dad"

Calder came back into the bedroom to find Stacey sitting up in bed holding a picture frame.  
“…is this…my baby…?”  
Calder set the tray aside, sitting next to her on the bed, “…yeah, her last birthday, I think…”  
She smiled, tears in her eyes, “She’s so beautiful…”  
“Just like her mother…” Calder sighed, leaning into her. “She wants to see you…”  
Stacey hesitated, “…that…could be too dangerous. I'm not even supposed to see you…”  
“…what happened to ya, babe…who did this?” he began setting the tray on her lap.  
“My handler, she stabbed me after I finished my last job and when I killed her, one of the escorts shot at me” She said, shoveling food in her mouth.  
“Why the fuck would they do that?”   
Stacey shrugged, “…she got a call before she attacked me…if I had to guess, I’d say it was my uncle putting in the kill order…”  
“Can he do that? I thought you were their number one…”  
“Last time I checked. There’s only one way my uncle could get away with killing me" Stacey began, “Something’s happened to Granddaddy”


	18. Chapter 18

“What the hell do you mean you can't find her?!” Lucius growled, as he stormed into his office.  
“What about Nia and the others?” Lucius rubbed his eyes, obviously not liking the answer. “I don’t care how long it takes, I want Nettle found and I want her head”  
Lucius tossed his phone down on his desk, falling into his chair. He hadn’t expected it to be this hard to get rid of one woman, best of the family or no. He needed to hurry and do this quietly before anyone had time to notice. Nettle had been walking on thin ice for awhile as far Lucius was concerned. It had started when she begged to spare that man, even going so far as to have his child.  
Granddaddy had let it slide, Nettle was their top assassin, she never complained, never asked for concessions before. He saw it as the willfulness of youth and obliged her. Only Lucius seemed to see it for what it was, the beginning of the end. He wasn’t surprised when her child slipped through the family’s grasp. He was positive she had colluded with the father even if he couldn’t prove it.  
Even after she returned to the family, her insolence knew no bounds. She took needless risks, was brazen and crass, the treatment of her last handler was proof enough. He had brought up his concerns with Granddaddy but he waved him off, saying that the child was grieving and as long as she did what she was tasked with, nothing else mattered. Fortunately, or not, Granddaddy had fallen ill and it was up Lucius to lead the family in the meantime. His first task, get rid of Nettle as quickly and quietly as possible, he would come up with an excuse for Granddaddy later.  
With Nettle out of the way, they could find the child. The father would be eliminated and the girl would begin her training to work for the family.   
That had been the plan, but Nettle was living up to her reputation. He thought if he used the element of surprise this would’ve been over relatively quick. She had been getting sloppy, too comfortable in her position. Nettle was a top assassin, Grandaddy’s favorite, there was no way she should've seen the attack coming, not from her own family.  
So why the hell were all his men dead while she was only missing?  
Her guard should have been completely down, had she sensed something from someone in the car?  
None of that mattered now, he needed Nettle out of the way now more then ever. The last thing he needed was her coming after him or worse yet, reporting back to Grandaddy, if the old bastard survived.

Calder stuffed the bloody bandages into a plastic bag, tying the top.  
“…What’s the diagnosis, doc?”  
“Nothing’s infected but you gotta long way to go before you’re healed, kitten. How're you feelin’?”  
“The pills help, thank you, baby…” she purred drowsily.   
He leaned kissing her deeply, Marie moaned, kissing him back.  
“…get some rest, babe"  
“Mmmm…” she sighed already drifting off.   
Calder shut the door, turning into Aisling in the hallway.  
“Is mama okay?”  
“Yeah, hunny, she’s just restin'…”  
“…that’s alotta blood…” she said, eyes glassy.  
Calder noticed she was staring at the white plastic bag in his hand. He hadn’t realized the blood would stand out so much.  
He lifted her face in his hands, brushing away a stray tear, “You remember when we first got the house and you were learning to climb the Magnolia out back?”  
“Yeah…”  
“And you fell and hit your head, you bled so much but it was a small cut. With your mom…its kinda like that…”  
“Okay, daddy" she sighed. He gave her a reassuring hug, “She’s gonna be fine, I promise. Then you can see her…”  
Calder pulled her back, looking her in the eye, “…not sure I have to tell you this but…no one can know she’s here…”  
“I know” Aisling pouted. “…but… Aunt Lydia does…”  
Calder hesitated, “What?”  
“She came over to say hi but she didn’t seem very happy…she asked how momma was doing and…I said I didn’t know and…I started crying so she gave me a hug and made me cocoa…”  
“Is she still here?!”   
“She’s in the kitchen, I came to come get you…"  
Calder sighed scrubbing a hand down his face, “…nothing we can do about that then…”  
“She brought momma some clothes…” Aisling gestured to the stairs.   
Calder sighed, he hated to admit it but Stacey couldn’t wear his old clothes forever. With the recent attempt on her life, he wasn’t so keen to take her to the mall.  
Lydia was sitting at the kitchen table staring pensively into her mug.   
Calder awkwardly tossed the bloody bag in the kitchen garbage, “Lydia…”  
“Levar called me…couldn’t believe him at first…”   
“That why you came all the way here?” Calder sighed.  
“Is she here?”  
“What if she is?”  
Lydia scoffed, “Then I’m not sure if you’re lucky or stupid…”  
“Didn’t know those things were mutually exclusive…”  
“This is dangerous, Calder. Especially with the kid…”  
“What else was I gonna do? The Noir turned on her, she has no place to go"  
Lydia hesitated, “Its worse then that, they’re trying to keep it quiet but…there’s been a hit put out on her for a ridiculous amount of money”   
“Fuck…!” Calder cursed, “Is there anyway…we can get away with this?”  
“It’s risky, especially with Aisling…! Even if Marie never leaves this house, there’s no guarantee that she’ll stay safe, that any of you will”  
“It doesn’t need to be forever, just until she heals up…”  
“You were a field medic, how long do you think that will take?”  
“Couple more weeks…at most…” he sighed.  
“…it won’t take nearly as long for someone to figure out where she is if they don’t know already” Lydia said gravely. Calder rubbed his neck, “…can you take the kid…”  
“For how long, Calder? This isn’t going to end quickly or maybe at all…!”  
“So what? You want me to throw Stacey to the wolves?!”   
“I didn’t say that…!”  
“Let me ask you this, after the Noir get Stacey outta the way, whaddya thinks gonna happen to Aisling? Whaddya think this is all about?” he hissed. “Her uncle’s looking to trade up, once Stacey’s gone, he's gonna come after Aisling to replace her and when he can’t control her either, he'll get rid of her too"  
Lydia looked shaken, Calder sighed, “Can ya take ‘er or not”  
Lydia sighed, “Just say when…”  
“No!”   
Calder turned as Aisling stomped into the kitchen.  
“I'm not leaving you and momma!”  
“…how much of that did you hear, honey?” Lydia began.  
Aisling crossed her arms, “That…the family wants to get rid of momma…and take me instead…”  
“Then you know how dangerous you bein' here is…” Calder growled.  
“I already got sent away from my momma, I'm not getting sent away from both of you!” Aisling yelled, her eyes watered and she ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. “…please don’t send me away, daddy…”  
Calder stroked her hair, squeezing her back, “We'll talk about this later…I think you should go home for today, Lyd"


	19. Chapter 19

“…are you just gonna sit there all night?”  
Calder looked up at her from his seat beside the bed. “…how're you feelin'?”  
“Never mind me, when’s the last time you slept?”  
He rubbed his neck, “…took a nap on the couch earlier, I’m fine"  
“I'm sure…” she slid over, “Come to bed, I promise to keep me hands to myself…”  
Calder couldn’t help himself, he took off his pants, sliding into bed beside her. Stacey purred, snuggling against his chest. Calder sighed wrapping her in his arms.  
“I'm sorry…” she sighed.  
“About what, kitten?”  
“Coming here, putting you and our baby in danger…” she sighed,  
“You couldn’t help that, hun…who’d they send you after anyway” he began.  
“Some pervert rapist, Eugene Simmons…”  
Calder snorted, “Then I've gotta thank you for that. He was the father of one of Aisling’s friends…”  
“Then I'm glad I made him suffer…”  
Calder hesitated, “Does…that mean you cut off his…”  
“…wrapped it up in a cooler and sent it off, just like contract said" she smirked.  
“Impressive if not…slightly terrifying…”  
They lay there in contented silence, Calder had started to drift when Stacey stirred in his arms  
“…I'm sorry…”  
“…you said that already, kitten…”  
“No I'm sorry for…everything else, for killing your friends, for…coming into your life in the first place…”   
His chest was wet, he sat up, worrying one of her wounds had reopened, it took him a moment to realize she had been crying. The idea unnerved him, the last he'd seen her cry he was leaving with their daughter. He gently laid her back, brushing her tears away with his thumb.  
“…you said you didn’t have a choice…”  
“In most ways I didn’t but…” she sniffled, “…the job was to monitor you and your group, to make sure you weren’t getting into things you shouldn't. They wanted me close to you but…not as close as I got…”  
“What does that mean?” he asked gently.  
She stroked his cheek, “I have…never lived a life that was mine, but I didn’t know any better…until I met you…and I…fell in love with you…when you took that…stupid job, I begged you not to go and when that didn’t work…I begged the family to let you live…they agreed but…”  
He kissed her softly, “…it’s okay, honey, I know…I already know everything…”  
She blinked up at him, “You do…?”  
“Aisling, your uncle was fond of telling her all about your ‘biggest mistake’ when he'd visit you two…”  
Stacey laughed a bit, “…maybe I can forgive him for trying to kill me…”  
Calder hesitated, “I love you, Stacey, even when I hated you, I still loved you. Part of me held on to the idea that…the good times we had weren’t all fake…”  
“They weren’t…!”  
“I know that now, kitten, it’s ok…” he kissed her tenderly. She kissed him desperately, her fingers in his hair. He pulled back to take a breath.  
Marie licked her lips, “…you’re hard"  
“…we shouldn’t…you’re hurt…”  
She purred for him, “…then be gentle”

Calder woke slowly in a warm haze, he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so relaxed, so at peace. His calm soon turned to panic when he reached over and found his bed empty. He pulled on his clothes as quickly as he could, practically throwing open the bedroom door. There was giggling coming from Aisling’s room.  
“Lord…does your daddy ever oil your scalp? No wonder you’re itchy" Stacey tsked.  
“He says to wash my hair if it itches…” Aisling sighed. Calder pushed open the door, almost heaving a sigh of relief. Stacey sat on Aisling’s bed, Aisling on a pillow on the floor as Marie parted her dense curls, with a comb and rubbing coconut oil on her scalp.  
“Well me and him are gonna have to have a talk about that. Washing your hair so much washes out all those good oils, leaves your scalp and hair dry…you hear me, Calder?”  
Aisling looked up at him with a tentative smile, “Good morning, daddy…”  
“What're you doing outta bed, kitten?”  
“I was feeling better so I thought I’d check on the baby. Shame on you for letting her hair get like this…” she teased.   
Calder hesitated, “The neighbor that used to do it moved away a month ago so…”  
“Mmm hmmm…”  
He shut the door, checking the windows.   
“…blinds are shut, curtains drawn, I checked…” Stacey called.   
Calder sighed, sitting down beside her. He tickled Aisling’s cheek and she giggled.  
“…how're you feeling, kitten?”  
“Better…a little sore but I think that has more to do with last night…”  
Calder looked away and Stacey chuckled, “I nearly forgot how cute you are when you blush"  
“Mama…can I ask you something?”  
“Of course baby"  
“…who hurt you?”  
She and Calder shared a glance, “…some bad people I was supposed to be able to trust…”  
Aisling hesitated, “…was it Uncle Lucius?”  
Stacey started.  
“What makes you say that, kiddo?” Calder asked.   
“He was always complaining about mama. He said when it was my turn to help the family I had to do better” she pouted.  
Stacey pulled her shaking hands from her daughter’s hair. Aisling turned to look at her, distressed, “I'm sorry, mama…did I make you mad…”  
“You didn’t…make me mad…” she tried to smile but her voice was shaking. Calder took her hand, “Why don’t you wash up for breakfast, honey? Me and mom'll be waiting downstairs…”  
Aisling hesitated and Stacey kissed her forehead, “Everything is fine, sweet girl. I'll help your daddy with breakfast”  
Aisling pushed herself up from the floor, skipping into the bathroom. Calder led Stacey downstairs to the kitchen, she washed her hands in the sink.  
“…you okay, kitten?” he began.  
“…when I was a child…my mother doted on me…as much as she could with always having to go away on ‘business’ but…she did her best to make me feel loved and…I did” Stacey shut off the water. “Then one day…when I was nine years old it’s like the fountain of love just…shut off. She was hostile and indifferent, it was why I started my training so early. And after the family took me in to train, my mother retired and left the family without even saying goodbye to me. I was her replacement, she might have thought I was cute as a kid but…that’s all I was…”  
Stacey leaned against the sink, “When I found out I was pregnant…it was my turn to raise my replacement but…when I held her for the first time and I looked into her scrunched up little face all I could think about was how much I loved her and how I would rather die then have her go through what I did…”  
She looked up at him, eyes blazing, “I'll kill Lucius for doing this, for trying to destroy everything I work so hard to protect”  
“Easy kitten…” Calder sighed, pulling her to him. “You’re not alone in this and I'll be damned if I let anything happen to that kid"  
She smiled and he gave her a reassuring kiss, pulling her into his arms, “We'll figure this out…”  
Stacey squeezed him back, “I love you, so much, I’d do anything to protect the both of you…”  
“I know…but you gotta let me help you once in a while…” he sighed in her ear. She melted in his embrace, burying her face in his shoulder.   
The sound of footsteps on the stairs pulled them apart.   
“Whaddya want for breakfast, kitten?” Calder began   
“I should be asking you that…” Stacey smiled.  
“Uh uh, your too hurt to…”  
“To cook? I’m sure”   
Aisling pranced into the kitchen, neither looked away from their stare down.  
“Baby, who would you like to make you breakfast today?” Stacey asked.  
Aisling hesitated, “Mama is the only one who makes maple turkey bacon and caramel cinnamon swirl pancakes…”  
“…that’s because I didn’t want to give you diabetes” Calder scoffed.  
“It wasn't every day, just on her birthday and Christmas” Stacey teased, pushing Calder into a chair. He grumbled as Aisling slid up across from him.


	20. Chapter 20

Levar gave a sigh as he sat down at the bar. The weather had turned, meaning his battle scars were acting up.   
“Bourbon, straight…”  
The bartender slid the glass in front of him, “Been a while…”  
“What’s the word, Nick?”  
“All anyone comin' through here talks about is the Noir wantin' their top assassin dead…”   
“Oh yeah? How’s that goin'?”  
“Not so great, what I hear. Been over three months and no one can even find a body. At this point, the Noir'll pay top dollar just for info…”  
Levar finished his drink, holding out his glass for another.  
“How much we talkin…?”

Calder gently prodded the scar on Stacey’s stomach.   
“How's it look, doc?” she teased.  
“I'd say you’re healed…congratulations” he sighed.   
She tilted her head, pulling back down her shirt, “What’s the matter, Calder?”  
“…you’re covered in scars, babe and I know from the last time we were together they’re relatively new…”  
Stacey shrugged, “After I went back to the family, I…stopped being as careful as I was in the past. I still got the job done but…I started taking more risks…without you or our baby…I didn’t care what happened to me. Probably why my uncle got fed up enough to try to kill me"  
Calder stroked her cheek, and she leaned into his hand.  
“…you know I can’t stay…”  
“Babe…”  
“Lucius will send the wrath of God after me, you'll get caught in the crossfire and he'll know where Aisling is”  
Calder started to protest when his phone rang.   
“…hold that thought”  
He glanced at the caller ID, “What’s up, Levar?”  
“They know she’s there, Calder”  
He didn’t need clarification, “What?! How?!”  
“…I told ‘em, Cald"  
“What the fuck, Levar!!”  
“I told you, you get one freebie. Besides the money was too good to pass up…”  
“You Goddamn bastard…!”  
“I already told Lydia, she should be there soon to relocate ya. Do the smart thing and leave that whore to the wolves, this is the only warning”  
“Shove it up your ass…!” Calder snarled, chucking the phone into the wall.  
“Calder?” Stacey called. He strode briskly to the closet. He pulled out the false wall and one of the many guns hidden beyond. He checked the clip, before cocking it and handing the rifle to Stacey.  
“We've been compromised. Someone’s coming to take Aisling to a safe place, scan the perimeter while I get her ready…” he said gravely. Just like that Stacey snapped into her assassin persona. She set up by the window overlooking the backyard.  
Calder rushed into Aisling’s room, pulling a bag out of her closet and stuffing it with clothes from her drawers. She sat up, whimpering drowsily, “…daddy?”  
“Hey, honey…its okay, you’re just going for a ride in the car…” he sighed, trying not to frighten her.   
“…okay" she yawned, wrapping her arms around his neck as he lifted her into his arms. Lydia was outside when he carried the dozing child downstairs. He wordlessly loaded her and her luggage into the car.  
Lydia handed him a burner, “I'll let you know when she’s safe. The only other number on it is the one for my burner. If you don’t contact me in 24 hours or don’t answer when I call…I'll assume the worst and destroy the phone"  
Calder nodded, “Thanks for this Lydia…”  
She stepped forward, pulling him into a rough kiss, “…stay alive, Calder, even if she has to die for it”  
With that she hopped in the car, quickly but calmly driving away. Calder took a deep breath, striding back into the house. It was going to be a long night.


	21. Chapter 21

Stacey stared unwaveringly through the sight of her rifle. It had been three days and they'd already stopped twenty mercenaries. The lawn and backyard were covered with blood, she and Calder had been taking turns piling the bodies out behind the shed in the back. The neighborhood was strangely quiet, like the houses were empty. Like this was all planned.   
Everything was quiet now, a rare moment of calm. Calder sighed as he came back into the bedroom.  
“Perimeters secure, I reset the traps and packed the bodies in the shed…”  
“How many bodies can you fit in there?” she teased.   
“Not that hard when you cut'em into pieces”   
“So that was what was takin’ you…I was half worried all that blood was yours…”  
Calder sighed peeling off his bloody tee shirt. Stacey looked him up and down, licking her lips.  
He scoffed, “This can’t possibly be flippin' your switch”  
“You flip my switch…” she purred.   
“I'm covered in blood, babe"   
“You about to be covered in me if you keep teasin' like this" she winked.  
Calder sighed, “I'm takin' a shower while I can. If anything goes wrong out front, the alarm will go off. If it doesn’t stop in 30 seconds, it’s a problem you need to handle. I'm just rinsing off blood so it shouldn’t take long…”  
Stacey nodded, watching him go. She knew this couldn’t last, they couldn’t be vigilant for the rest of their lives. They had been on sleep shifts and Calder’s booby traps and rigs seemed to be working but how long would they?  
Calder got out of the shower.  
“All quiet?” he asked, pulling back on his clothes.  
“Mmm…” She sighed not looking back.  
Calder hesitated, “…thought you'd wanna watch me dress…”  
“If I do that, I might attack you. How will we explain that to Aisling?” she glanced at him with a smirk.  
Calder winked at her.  
“I'm gonna head back downstairs…”  
“I love you, Calder…you know that, right?”  
“’Course I do, Kitten" he leaned over to kiss her.   
She smiled as she watched him go, “…I'm sorry…”

A chill ran down Calder’s back, something was wrong. He reached for the glock down the back of his pants. He felt the cold press of the silencer against the back of his head.  
“Drop it, hands in the air"  
Calder cursed, dropping the gun and throwing up his hands. He was patted down before having his hands zip tied together and being shoved to the ground. He was surrounded by men in black suits one of them tugged a barely resisting Stacey down the stairs. Calder tried to get up but he was shoved back down, the gun pressed to the back of his skull.  
Stacey started to struggle and the one that had her, tightened his grip on her arm.  
“It was a hell of a time gettin’ to you, one would think you would act better after making me come all this way…” Lucius frowned as he stepped through the backdoor.  
“Let him go, he’s not involved this…” she hissed.  
He stepped forward, slapping her across the face in a hard fluid motion.   
“Don’t you fucking touch her…!”Calder snarled, shooting to his feet. One of the guards pistol whipped him to the ground.   
“Last time I saw you, you said you didn’t care about what happened to the woman who killed your friends…” Lucius grabbed her face, tilting her head from side to side, “Judging by these marks on her neck…seems you ‘care’ quite a lot"  
He stared down at her in disgust, “You were our top assassin, our family’s pride, our dagger in the night. Now…you’re like a spoiled child, going behind your family’s back, lying and taking advantage of Granddaddy’s favoritism. You make this family weak"  
Stacey glared into his dark eyes with angry resignation.   
“…but I'm feeling generous. I'm willing to spare you life, let you out of your familial obligations to sail off into the sunset with your…white knight…” he went on. “All you have to do…is give us the child you promised. She will be your replacement as you were for your mother. Seeing as you were our greatest success, we have very high hopes for her…”  
Stacey spat blood in his face, “Fuck you"  
Lucius released her with a shove, calmly pulling a handkerchief out of his breast pocket, wiping his face.   
“Shoot the knight in front of his princess”  
Stacey struggled as one of the guards pressed the muzzle of the gun against Calder’s forehead.  
“I’ll fucking kill you for this” tears ran down her face.   
“Don’t look, babe…” Calder   
The gunshot was deafening blood splattered all over Stacey’s face.


	22. Chapter 22

Lucius glanced down in confusion as a dark red spot spread over his expensive suit. He stumbled backward, glancing up at the man who shot him, the one still holding onto his niece. Antoine stared back at him evenly, lowering his gun.  
Lucius stumbled backwards, “What…the hell…how dare you…!”  
“…that’s enough, Lucius, you’ve done more then enough”  
Lucius turned slowly as Granddaddy walked his way into the room. He was dressed impeccably as always, with his alligator shoes and porkpie hat. His ruemy eyes were fixed in a cold glare at his descendant.  
Lucius fell to his knees, “You're…”  
“Alive. Was never sick in the first place…” he sighed, easing himself into a chair at the kitchen table. “I wanted to see what you'd get up to if I was…indisposed. One thing I can say about you Lucius, you don’t disappoint. Doing all matter a things without even considering the consequences…”  
“I…I'm trying to…to help this family…make it stronger by…getting rid of the…chattel…” Lucius gasped.  
“Family don’t kill family…!” Granddaddy roared. “’Gettin' rid a chattel’? That’s some white people shit if I ever heard it!”  
Lucius winced, grabbing his side wound.  
“Stop yer simperin’, it wasn’t by far a fatal wound” he leaned over his cane with an unpleasant false teeth grin, “There are things much worse then death, belie’e that. And we're gone see just how much you can take"  
Lucius paled, unable to resist as two of the men hauled him to his feet dragging him out the back door.  
Granddaddy smiled at Stacey as Antoine cut her zip ties.  
“Sorry about all the nastiness, grandbaby”  
“Thank you…Granddaddy” she sighed, she ran to Calder as his zip ties were cut too.  
“Are you okay?” she asked, lifting his head into her hands.   
“Yeah…what about you? He hit ya pretty hard…” he began.  
“I've seen worse…” she smiled, pulling him into a grateful kiss.  
Granddaddy cleared his throat behind them and she pulled away, turning to face him.  
“…I didn’t come looking for him…it was an accident…”  
“Hush now, child, I know" Granddaddy sighed. “You were done a great injustice for all the hard work you do…”  
Granddaddy straightened, “As such, you deserve an equal compensation for all your pain and suffering…”  
Marie looked away, “There's only one thing I want…”  
The old man sighed, “I know…I was holdin’ out hope you'd ask for somethin’ else…”  
Stacey said nothing, staring down at her bare feet like a scolded child.  
“Alright fine…! You can retire from the family business and…the baby is exempt from…workin' in your place…”  
Her head shot up, “Really?!”  
“It’s only right…you can stay with your man and…you'll be protected”  
She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck, “Thank you, Granddaddy! Thank you, Thank you!”  
“Thank you, sir…” Calder held out his hand.  
“Donchu thank me…! I'm only doin' this because that dumbass fucked up so badly…” he scoffed.  
“I'll take it…” Calder sighed.  
He gestured to Stacey and she helped him up.   
“Well…I'm gon git, gotta get started punishin’ unruly children…” he gave her cheek a pinch, “…you always was my favorite…maybe that’s why Lucius went so crazy, he was jealous”  
Stacey giggled, he kissed both her cheeks.  
“You best take care of my grandbaby, y'here?” he called.  
“Yes, sir" Calder called back. Granddaddy and the rest of the guards drained out the back door, Antoine was the last to go.  
“They told me you wanted a new assignment…you knew what Lucius was planning, didn’t you?”  
Antoine cleared his throat, “After…what happened, your grandfather called me in, asked me what I thought about you and Lucius. I told the truth, you acted the way you do because…you were hurting and Lucius had no sympathy for it. So he came up with his…plan to find out what would happen if he was…indisposed…  
“He transferred me, mostly so I could work closer to Lucius, keep tabs, offer him choices and see what he'd do. I was the one who suggested Lucius come to get you himself…on Granddaddy’s order of course”  
“That…sounds really complicated and vindictive…” Calder began.  
“It sounds like my family…” Stacey sighed.   
“I’m…really happy things worked out for you, miss…” Antoine nodded to her on the way out.   
“I'm sorry I dry humped you on my couch…!” Stacey called back.  
Calder glanced at her.   
“Don’t act like you weren’t lonely and horny without me”  
“When you're right, you’re right…” he sighed, plopping down on the couch. Stacey sat next to him, leaning against him.  
“…is it really over? Am I…free…?”  
He kissed her forehead, “…I think you are, kitten…you’re shaking…”  
“…I'm excited…and scared…what if they change their minds?”  
“…we'll cross that bridge…”

Aisling leapt out of Lydia's car as soon as it stopped in the driveway. She ran up to Calder waiting on the porch, punching him as hard as she could in the gut. Calder winced as she connected with one of his bruises.  
“…what the hell, half pint…?!”  
“You promised you wouldn’t send me away!” she yelled, angry tears in her eyes.  
“…I never said that”   
“How could you do that?! I hate you!” she cried. Calder pulled her into his arms, “…hey calm down, honey…”  
He knelt in front of her, stroking her tear stained face, “I'm not gonna say I'm sorry or that this'll never happen again because if you’re ever put in danger like you almost were, I’d do what a father does and protect you even if that means…I might never see you again”  
Aisling sniffled, and he pinched her cheek, “It’s because I love ya kid, I'd do anything to keep you safe”  
“I know…I missed you daddy"  
“I missed you, too sweet girl” He kissed her cheek, pulling her back into his arms. Calder met Lydia's gaze over her shoulder.  
He smiled, “Thanks Lid"  
“No reason to thank me. I was just looking after my god daughter” she smiled back, already climbing back into her car. They waved as she drove away.  
“Did uncle Lucius take mama?” Aisling sniffled as they went into the house.   
“I'm right here, baby” Stacey smiled.   
Aisling lit up. “Mama!”  
She ran into her mother’s arms, Stacey stroked her hair.  
“I missed you soooooo much, Munkin…!”  
“What about Uncle Lucius?” Aisling asked.  
“Granddaddy handled him” Marie sighed.  
“So can you stay with us, forever and ever?” Aisling pulled back. Stacey smiled, “Forever and ever"  
Aisling beamed, throwing her arms her neck. Stacey met Calder’s gaze and he smiled.


End file.
